At Times Like These
by hippolina97
Summary: Ron nervously anticipates the birth of his nephew, and fondly remembers how they got to this stage. I'm terrible at summaries :  Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: ****If I am in fact JK Rowling, you'd better be afraid. Her writing's gone down a notch. : ) **

Ron was anxious, which wasn't particularly unusual for him. There had been many a time in the past 13 years that he had been anxious, but this felt different somehow. A strangled cry could be hears from behind the kitchen door. Ron winced. At times like these he was glad he wasn't a woman. He began to pace in front of the closed door, half-wishing he wasn't alone. After pacing for about two minutes, Ron gave up and sank onto the sitting room lounge. He heard another cry from inside.

"Aagh! I can't…Harry, you do it for me!"

"Come on, Gin, you're doing great, you're going to be fine." Ron smiled to himself. Not a soul alive could doubt how perfect Ginny and Harry were together. As happy as he was for them, however, sometimes Ron still wished his baby sister had married someone other than his best friend. Ron clapped a hand to his head as he remembered the family dinner the Weasely's, plus Harry and Hermione, had shared nine months ago.


	2. Flashback 1: You What?

**Flashback **

_Molly Weasely had been in a foul mood all week. The news that Charlie and his wife, Belinda, couldn't have children had taken its toll on her. With George and Percy unmarried, Bill and Fleur on holiday with their small daughter __Victoire__, Ron and Hermione still planning their wedding, and with Ginny and Harry showing no signs of having children, Charlie had been her last hope of more grandchildren in the near future. Arthur, who knew better than to enrage his wife when she was already in such a foul mood, simply did as he was told as they prepared for the arrival of the families of five of their children. _

_About an hour later, Charlie and Belinda, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, George, Molly and Arthur were all seated around the kitchen table, tucking into a pile of Molly's cooking. All was silent for a moment, until Arthur decided to start some conversation._

"_So, son, how are things working out with Lee at the shop?" Before George could respond, Ginny interrupted. Ron frowned at her, wondering why she was wearing a poncho, as opposed to her usual clothes. _

"_Er…Actually Dad, I was wondering if I could say something." Arthur looked surprised, but smiled and nodded. Ginny looked at Harry pointedly, and they both stood up._

"_Ginny and I have an announcement to make," said Harry, smiling. A dark feeling of horror rose in Ron's chest as the meaning of the poncho was suddenly clear. _

"_Ginny's pregnant. We're going to have a baby!" Ron was aware of people rushing to their feet. Chairs squeaked and groaned as people launched themselves at the soon to be-parents and threw their arms around them. Ron's mind was blank, a sort of numbness spreading through his body as he sat firmly in his seat, not moving at all. After a few minutes, the crowd broke away, and Harry and Ron were looking eye-to-eye. Harry grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders hopefully, but Ron was already on his feet._

_The numbness Ron felt grew to anger, and sure enough, Harry was soon thrusted against the wall, his glasses askew, Ron's wand pointed at his face._

"_You got my sister pregnant?" growled Ron slowly. Harry slid down the wall an inch or so. _

"_We're married, Ron! Come on, mate…" This comment made no difference to Ron, and the only movement he made was to lower his wand to Harry's heart. _

"_Ron, what are you doing?!" came Hermione's voice of reason, and George and Arthur stepped in to pull Ron away from Harry. Ron's face was thunderous; Harry's face absolutely terrified. Voldemort was nothing in comparison to a worked-up, over-protective Weasely. _

"_Get.Out." Said Ron finally, staring into Harry's eyes. Harry made a croaking noise. _

"_Ron, mate, see reason…"_

"_Get out," Ron repeated, so Harry looked fleetingly at Ginny, escaped out the door and disapparated. _

**A/N ****Well, here's chapter one. Like it? Hate it? Let me know.**

**hippolina97 xoxo **


	3. Flashback 2: Honestly Harry!

Of course, Ron had grown more kindly towards the idea of Harry and Ginny having kids over the next 9 months, and now he sat in the Burrow's sitting room, while Molly delivered Ron's niece or nephew. Of course, all would have preferred the baby to be born at St Mungo's, but the events leading to Ginny going into labour preventing this from happening. Ron grinned with suppressed laughter as he recalled what had occurred mere hours ago.

**Flashback**

"_You know, I wish you'd treat me like this more often," smiled Ginny, as she lifted the glass of wine to her lips. _

"_Well, it's not everyday that I have an entire evening off Auror duty. And no," said Harry, slapping the wine away from his wife's hand, "no wine until the baby's born, Gin, you know that." Ginny scowled playfully, and curled up against Harry in their comfortable position on the couch. _

"_Then why do you get to drink?" she said miserably._

"_One of the advantages of being a man, I suppose. I can stop if you prefer, though," he replied calmly, kissing his very-pregnant wife on her red-haired head. They say in silence for a moment, watching Ginny's large, pregnant belly rise and fall as she breathed. Harry placed a hand on her stomach, and beamed with pride. _

"_It has to be a boy. Feel that kick? Keeper abilities, for sure." Ginny turned to face her husband, her eyebrows raised. _

"_And you think that if our child has Keeping abilities, it has to be a boy? Can girls not play Quidditch, Harry?" Harry swore, realising his mistake. Ginny laughed. _

"_It's alright. Besides, it could be a girl. Mother's intuition. Alright, I'll bet you 20 galleons that it's a girl. If it's a boy, you get the 20 galleons." Harry grinned, his own eyebrows raised this time._

"_You want to bet on the sex of our child?" he asked, and Ginny shrugged, as if to say 'Why not?'. Harry felt Ginny jerk suddenly, and she sat up. She paused for a moment, then turned to face him again._

"_I think we're about to find out." Harry froze._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Harry, our baby's on it's way." Harry immediately got to his feet, and began to pace, babbling non-stop. He sounded like Hermione after too much caffeine. _

"_Are you sure? Of course you're sure, how could you not be! Should we take the quickest route to St Mungo's, or should we apparate there? Do we have the bag, and the keys? She we tell your parents? What about Ron and Hermione!" Harry stopped talking as Ginny put a finger to his lips._

"_Harry, honey, you're babbling. We've been through this, remember? I have the bag, and the keys. We're going to apparate there, and contact my family when we reach the hospital." Harry nodded numbly, while Ginny, who was unnaturally calm, took his hand in one of her own, and a large travel bag in the other__, and led him out the door. They were only half way down the garden path when Harry fell to the ground in a dead faint. Ginny doubled over in pain, and, seeing her husband unconscious on the floor, let out a cry of impatience._

"_For heavens sake, Harry! You're supposed to be the calm one in this situation! You can defeat Lord Voldemort, but you can't handle your wife in labour! Renevate," she pointed her wand at Harry's face, and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up and grinned sheepishly. _

"_Sorry Gin, I'm fine now. Let's get you to St Mungo's. Actually," he said, as Ginny's face contorted in pain, "we have no time for that. Lets just get you to your parent's place, lets just hope Molly's home." Harry, finally taking charge, grabbed Ginny's arm and disapparated. _

**End Flashback**

Ron chuckled. He remembered the following incidents in perfect detail. Harry had arrived at the Burrow, half carrying Ginny, and was immediately ordered by Molly to get Ginny into the kitchen. Ron himself, as well as Arthur and Percy, who happened to be there at the time, had been ordered out of the kitchen, but Hermione stayed inside with Molly and Harry, to help in any way she could. Arthur and Percy had gone to wait upstairs in Ron's room, but Ron had decided to stay in the sitting room, staring at the closed door. He wanted to be the first to know when the baby was born, which was fair enough. It was his niece or nephew, after all. Ron heard Ginny give an anguished cry, and then a delighted laugh. Ron sat up in his seat, a wide smile on his face.

"Dad? Perce? I think you'd better get down here!"

**A/N ****Well here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed it: ) I do have another chapter ready to be typed and posted, but I'll only do it if reviewers want me to. Please let me know what you think.**

**Cheers, hippolina97 xoxo **


	4. Congratulations, Mate

**A/N **** Well, here is my final chapter! It's a little short, but I wrote this hand-written at first, so I had a hard time separating the 6 page story into chapters! Anyway, hope you enjoy, and remember to review: ) **

_Ron sat up in his seat, a wide smile on his face. _

"_Dad? Perce? I think you'd better come down here!" _

Ron called out to his father and elder brother, but before they could respond, Harry burst through the door. His face was sweaty and flushed, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, but he had never looked happier; he was positively beaming.

"A boy," he gasped, "James Sirius Potter. Ginny owes me 20 galleons! I'll bring him out once Molly's cleaned him up a bit." Still beaming, Harry slid back inside, just as Arthur and Percy came rushing down the stairs. Ron smiled at them.

"A boy, James Sirius Potter." Arthur gave a short bark of laughter, and collapsed onto the couch. Percy stared around the room, as if expecting a baby to leap put from under the rug.

"He's not here, Perce. Harry will bring him out in a minute." Just then, Harry re-entered the room, a squirming baby in his arms.

"Speak of the devil! Lets take a look at him, eh Harry?" smiled Arthur, and Harry handed little James to his grandfather.

"7lb and 2oz. He looks just like his mother." Arthur nodded, and unwillingly passed James to Ron. He awkwardly accepted the little bundle, and looked into the smiling baby's face. James's eyes were exactly like Ginny's, and there was something devious in his smile. Ron could tell that James would take after Fred and George, if not Harry.

"Wow. Congratulations mate," said Ron, handing Harry's son back to him. Harry grinned.

"So you're not going to kill me then?" he asked and the two mates laughed quietly.

"Nah, but if I don't get to see my baby sister right now, I may have to reconsider!" Harry smiled and bowed, motioning for Ron to enter the kitchen. The table and chairs were all pushed to one side, and Ginny was set up on a large bed that had been magicked into the middle of the kitchen. She was covered in white clothing and sweat, but otherwise she was glowing. She grinned at Ron as he entered, and carefully accepted her son as Harry passed him to her. Ron leaned against the wall; his arms folded in front of him, and watched the new family coo over its youngest member. He smiled reflectively, thinking of how lucky they all were to be in this position. At times like these, Ron was especially glad that he had met the Boy-Who-Lived on the Hogwarts Express.

**A/N ****Well that's the end. I hope you enjoyed it! Just because I've finished, it doesn't mean that I don't want reviews, so please tell me what you think.**

**Cheers, hippolina97 xoxo **


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